The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your inner experience, so how can you make sure it’s a good one? This week, Hallie and I broached the concept of optimistic nihilism, and how we can dare to surrender to the reality that death is an event that happens to everyone, no matter how rich, happy, or successful they are. Don’t let your impending death make you give up! Instead, leverage death to help you become more present and observe your emotions, rather than getting tangled up in them. We also talk about how our ego tends to take us away from the reality of situations and share a beautiful quote from Sri Nisargadatta Mahaaraj about seeing life and death as a succession of events.
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References and Resources from Today’s Episode
I Am That, by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Timestamps
[7:32] When you have pure acceptance of the fact that there is going to be death, it brings a lot more freedom to your life.
[7:55] Pure acceptance doesn’t mean that you’re excited about death for yourself or others, it’s just that you truly experience the feelings that come with it.
[8:35] Feeling like nothing matters or that you shouldn’t do anything because we will all die one day is actually a very ego-driven type response.
[9:00] Spirituality has a tendency to be like mist in the air, where it’s hard to grab. You can’t measure it, and it’s just there.
[9:45] It’s not that you should surrender to life, but surrender to the notion that death is inevitable.
[11:40] Ninety-nine percent of problems are self-generated problems. For the 1% that are legitimate problems, work on fixing them so you free up energy and can move forward.
[15:36] Death is just an event. When we attach ourselves to any event, we can be taken down the drain of that and pulled away from life.
[16:32] Death is our greatest teacher because it takes everything away from us and makes everyone equal.
[18:29] The minute you call off a need for success to look and feel a certain way, the quicker you’ll no longer need to achieve it, and it will become a spontaneous achievement.
[21:11] Wait… why does everyone have a midlife crisis?
[33:40] Most people attach themselves to this need to be successful, and instead, you can just watch your thoughts and emotions pass by with as little attachment as possible.
